It never really goes right for Sara Hector in the giant slalom season opener in Sölden.
The 34-year-old has started 14 times in her career without ever making it to the podium.
Now it looked as if the trend might be about to change for the Olympic gold medallist, who has been on the World Cup podium 28 times, including eight wins. Hector impressed in the first run and had only superstar Mikaela Shiffrin ahead of her.
“Absolutely unreal”
Then a snowstorm rolled in, and both had big problems on the Austrian course. Hector finished fourth, a tenth of a second off the podium, matching her best result in Sölden, while American Shiffrin slipped all the way to seventh place.
When Shiffrin crossed the finish line, it was Moltzan who celebrated her first World Cup victory, at the age of 32.
“Right now it feels like a fairy tale, completely unreal,” Moltzan said, according to AP.
Behind her, Albanian Lara Colturi took second place, and Sundsvall-born German Emma Aicher came in third.
Four Swedes in the top 20
The second-best Swede was Estelle Alphand, who had a strong first run but also lost ground in the second and finished 12th. Hilma Lövblom and Hanna Aronsson Elfman both advanced to the second run, finishing 15th and 16th respectively.
For Sophie Nyberg and Cornelia Öhlund, the competition ended after the first run. Nyberg finished outside the top 30, while Öhlund crashed out in the first run.
On Sunday, the men will make their World Cup debut in Sölden. Only two Swedes, Fabian Ax Swartz and William Hansson, will compete in the giant slalom.
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